


Beginning A New Life

by Angelleap77



Series: Where I Belong [1]
Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: Bonding, F/F, F/M, Family Loss, Gen, Hair-tying, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Multi, Promises, Rape/Non-con Elements, pain and grief
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-01-21 07:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21295910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelleap77/pseuds/Angelleap77
Summary: Peppy's colony escapes Bergen town when the Bergen Chef decides to help herself to some trolls prior to Trollstice. After some discussion, Peppy's colony tries to find a place to call their forever home but encounter numerous problems along the way, including a pair of trolls that have a taste for other trolls.
Relationships: Biggie & Smidge (Trolls), Branch/Stream (Trolls), Guy Diamond & Poppy, Satin & Chenille/Laurel
Series: Where I Belong [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1535159
Kudos: 7





	1. chapter 1

"Make me a promise?" A small 5 year old lavender trolling with two tone green and blue hair directed at the 5 year old teal blue trolling beside him. He was nervous about asking but didn't want to miss the opportunity, especially with Trollstice so close and them not knowing if they would be alive or dead after that day.

"For you, Stream, anything. Just name it." The teal blue trolling was fidgeting, having an idea of what was about to be asked. He and Stream were extremely close and had been ever since they could first walk and talk. They had found out recently due to an awkward hair-tying incident that they were soulmates and intended to be together. As it turned out, only 95% of soulmates actually stayed together once they hit maturity. There was the rare 5% that drifted apart as they got older, realizing that they were not as compatible as a couple as they had once believed.

"If you and I are still together as adults, will you be my mate? I mean, we are soulmates but there is the rare chance that it doesn't matter. I'd like to think we would still be together though and make it work?" Stream fidgets while peeking sideways at the now blushing trolling beside him.

After a few moments of thought, Branch turns to Stream with a gentle smile on his face. "Always." He was really hoping things worked out for them. He and Stream had been near inseparable ever since they could walk and talk. To lose Stream now would tear Branch's heart to pieces. He couldn't bear the idea of losing his soulmate, regardless of how young they currently were.

Screams were the next thing heard from the colony as the Bergen Chef stormed the Troll Tree, grabbing random trolls as she went through, including Branch's grandma Rosiepuff and Stream's dad, River. What was to follow would change their lives completely. Stream's brother, Creek, comes running over to them moments after the screaming started. "You two need to hurry towards the tunnels. We have to leave and now. Seems the Bergen Chef has decided to start Trollstice a couple days early. I'm so sorry Branch, but your grandma was already taken." His ears droop as he turns to his twin brother. "Stream, our dad was taken too. We only have mom left. We have to leave and right now before we lose even her or each other. We can't wait and risk being taken as well."

Branch whimpers slightly before going completely gray in grief. "I'm now the last then, the last of my entire family line. I already lost my parents a couple years ago during Trollstice, and now I lost my grandma as well. I'm all alone." He shudders as he silently cries in Stream's chest, now totally lost on what to do. He feared this day would come when he would be alone and already had some plans, but he didn't think he would be alone to make those plans happen. Feeling Stream's arms around him helped a little but he was worried about losing him too.

"You'll come with us, love. You're mine, always, and I will do whatever I can to keep you safe, provided we make it out of here alive." Stream lightly runs his hand down Branch's cheek to calm him. "Let's all try to stay alive, okay?" He was just as worried as Branch was and glances at his brother who seemed concerned about Branch's now obvious lack of color. To lose one's color was a serious thing for any troll. It essentially meant a loss of happiness and hope. They had only ever seen one other troll who had gone gray and that troll had died without ever finding their colors again. Creek shakes his head of these thoughts and pulls his brother and Branch towards the Troll Tree.

The colony gets to the middle of the Troll Tree within minutes, staying out of range of the grabbing hands of the Bergen's and right at the entrance to the tunnels they had been digging for many years. They wait till nightfall before heading into the tunnels, opting to try to make their escape while the Bergen's were asleep. The Bergen's however had shoved large spades and many other things down into the ground around the tree, many of the items puncturing the escape tunnel and making the passage through it very dangerous. Several of the trolls get injured along the way from the obstacles the Bergen's had placed there. Stream was one of the casualties but it wasn't clear how bad till they made it out of the tunnels and into the open again.

Stream had gone gray and was bleeding profusely from a huge gash on the side of his head. He had gotten that from a sharp pick he hadn't seen stick down into the tunnels until it was too late to dodge it. He collapses just a few feet outside the tunnel exit, a pool of blood encircling his head very quickly on the cold, hard ground. He had gone very still as well and his breathing was so shallow, it appeared to have completely stopped. Fearing the worst, the colony continues on without him to ensure the rest of the colony was kept safe, dragging a crying and upset Creek and Branch right along with them. Stream, being on the verge of death, puts himself into a suspended sleep state so he could heal himself before reviving again. It would, however, be many years before he would see his brother or soulmate again.

...  
Okay, so people don't get confused, Stream has healing abilities along with his spiritual talents. His healing his limited to himself though and minor injuries of others. His main talents are his spiritual abilities of seeing aura's and keeping others calm just by touching them. Creek's abilities are seeing aura's and sensing when someone is deceiving them.

Before anyone also questions where Sky is, this story is going to have Sky.. but not as Branch's twin brother *devious grin* :)


	2. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The colony starts their search for a new home.

It was 2 weeks into their escape from Bergen Town when Peppy's colony found what they thought would be a good forever home. It had everything they needed. Food, water, fresh air, and sweet acoustics, the primary things any troll could want or need. Downside to this area is that it was also the home territory to a pack of Tokami, the wild forest cats that preyed on small mammals. Trolls to them were a delicacy that they rarely got to enjoy. With Peppy's colony being close to 500 strong, there was bound to be a few casualties when going through the area.

Creek and Branch, having been separated from Stream and fearing that he was dead now, had gone gray and were not wanting to be near anyone. Creek's talents were dependent on his colors so because of him now being gray, he had very limited access to them. Knowing when someone was being deceptive was reliant on him being happy. It was now rendered useless by his gray state. His ability to see aura's was still usable but very minimal. He could easily tell from the looks everyone was giving him though, that they were concerned about him and Branch.

As the colony debates setting up their homes, the pack of Tokami that lived in the area chances upon their intended location. As the screams from the colony intensified, the trolls start to scatter. Some run under mushrooms or down into holes in the ground while others blend in with the tall grass or moss on the trees nearby. The leader of the pack was a large male with black stripes that ran down his muzzle and along his sides, a stark contrast to the usual lighter stripes and spots common to the tan or golden brown cats. Their usual colors helped them blend in with their forest surroundings, allowing them to sneak up on unsuspecting prey.

Within minutes, the colony that had once had close to 500 was diminished by almost 100 of its own, having been eaten by the pack of 7 cats. Many of the trolls caught had been older and unable to run as fast or were babies that couldn't run yet to escape the danger. The now satisfied felines slink away into the woods nearby while the wary trolls that remained watch to make sure they had indeed left. King Peppy looked concerned, having thought this was a safe location. He shakes his head and looks at the colony. "Apparently this place is not safe for us. We thought it to be, but this situation has made it perfectly clear that this is not to be our forever home. We must continue on to try to find a safer location. I know many of you are tired. So am I. We cannot risk losing any more than we already have though so we must move quickly to avoid any further loss of life. Gather what you can food wise and we will get back underway."

Many of the remaining trolls had gone gray with grief because of losing their babies or their parents to the Tokami pack. What they didn't realize was that their troubles had only just begun. As they gathered what remained of their belongings again, they head towards the Eastern ocean. The landscape ahead to the East was dotted with mountain peaks and forests but they figured it would be easier living conditions than in the colder temperatures of the North.

Back to the South at Bergen Town, Stream had woken up again and found himself very much alone. It had been raining quite a lot during the last couple weeks and the trail left behind by the colony had been washed away by the relentless water. It had taken several days of him being in the comatose state for his body to heal enough to keep him alive. Unfortunately, with the colony tracks gone, he had no way of knowing which way they went. He picked the most logical direction of West, thinking that because of it being so clear in comparison to the rest, that maybe the colony went in that direction. There appeared to be plenty of food and water in that direction as well. He was already a week into his traveling before he realized that he had gone the wrong way. The once clear path turned into thick growths of shrubs and prickle vines, the razor sharp vines that could tear flesh off bone with ease. He turns towards the North, not knowing which way to go at that point but feeling he had to keep searching for his colony.

Higher up in the trees, a set of eyes watches the trolling's progress through the region. An evil smirk lights up their face as the watcher eyes up the "cute" trolling, thinking of how easy it would be to take advantage of such a young and innocent child. He hadn't had fun in a while, but he wasn't sure he wanted to do anything with a trolling that young. Figuring the child was lost, he decided to just keep an eye on him for now and wait for him to grow up a bit. A few years wouldn't hurt anything, right? He wondered to himself if he'd be able to hold out that long without deciding to do what he wanted anyways. His own colony had kicked him out a couple years ago, so in order to keep his desires reigned in, he took advantage of any trolls that happened to wander through his current region. He didn't care if they were trollings or young adults, just so long as they weren't old. He liked what he classified as the "pretty" trolls, trolls with attractive colors or features. This trolling, even with being gray, was still very attractive regardless of their obvious young age. He speculated the trolling was no older than 6 or 7 tops, if even that. He wasn't aware that this child was only 5, but right now, he didn't care. It had literally been a couple months since his last sexual escapade and he was already feeling the urges again. At this point, he didn't care the age or appearance, he just wanted to eliminate the urges.

He reigns in his desires for now, feeling the trolling was too young to be able to fully enjoy himself. Having an idea of which direction the child was going, he looks around for a more suitable target until this one gets old enough to enjoy. He knew he wouldn't be able to control his urges, so he had to do something about it and quickly.

...  
Little filler chapter 2. Sorry to say... I am gonna be a bit mean to several of my boys... *shudders* :(


	3. chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stream encounters his stalker in a not-so-nice encounter.

He had enough. Parch simply could not wait. He had been watching the trolling for the last couple days even while looking for other prospects and just couldn't find any alternatives. He didn't care that this child was so young at this point, he just wanted to satisfy his bodily urges. He knew about the colony that this child was looking for, having seen a child among them that was identical in almost every way to himself. He figured they were twins that had been separated somehow. Well, that kind of separation tended to cause issues, for one or for both.

Parch was a red troll with jet black hair and red eyes. He was the literal color of evil and his personality matched it. He had been pushed out of his colony for a couple reasons. One being his color and the other being his overall personality. The spiritual trolls in his colony had noticed his darker than normal aura and had warned the King of their colony about it. In order to keep the colony safe, the King had ordered for Parch to be banished from the colony, even though at that time, Parch had never done anything wrong. It all changed the moment the order for his banishment was made. He retaliated by slaughtering many trolls, using poison dipped arrows shot from a distance. Nobody even realized it was him doing it. The "pretty" trolls as he labeled them, he would use a knockout and paralyzing agent on them and then rape them to get them pregnant. He figured if he could get some descendants out of this, at least it would be worth the trouble that had been caused by the colony against him. So far, he had managed to produce 3 offspring in that way, 1 of which took after him in personality and was cruel as well. That offspring, now at 21 years old, was named Tourmaline. Tourmaline was known for torturing other trolls and for dismembering them and eating them. He would kill off the ones he considered ugly and leave their body parts scattered in random areas, eat the hearts and livers of some of his victims or even their meaty arms and legs if he was hungry enough, and rape the "pretty" trolls like Parch did. His reputation gave him the name of Tourmaline the Torturer.

Tourmaline had decided to follow the colony that Stream was trying to find while his father, Parch, was stalking the innocent trolling. The two of them worked together almost all of the time. Once they had met and knew they were father and son, they had gotten very close and even resorted to plotting together to give them both some enjoyment. Tourmaline's taste for other trolls amused Parch to the point where he would help hunt the other trolls to give Tourmaline something to snack on. He wanted to prove to his son that he was there for him regardless of his unusual taste preference.

Parch turns again towards where Stream had gone, noticing that the trolling was now started to head in a Northern direction. If he didn't catch up and soon, the temperatures would become unbearably cold in a matter of days. He swoops down, landing a short distance behind Stream, startling the poor boy and making him scramble backwards to avoid this unknown troll. Stream just looks him up and down a moment and shudders noticing the dark aura that Parch had. He didn't want anything to do with this troll and he suspected that something bad was about to happen.

"Aww, don't be scared little trolling. I'm not going to hurt you... much. You'll definitely regret being separated from your colony though. Oh, should you survive my plans for you, they went East towards the Ocean. I think that's a safer path for you rather then heading North and freezing to death." He inches closer as he speaks, making Stream more uncomfortable by the moment. He reaches out with his hair and wraps up Stream in it, gaining a shriek from the boy. Within minutes, the air was filled with screams of pain as Parch had his way with the innocent 5 year old child. The ground was quickly being coated with blood by the deed being done. Once he was finished, Parch left Stream there, not bothering to look back at the bleeding trolling who was clinging to life and was putting himself into a comatose state again to try to heal himself.

As Parch walked away, he was silently praying he hadn't killed the child. Even with as young as the child was, it was enough to satisfy him for the time being. If that child was able to grow up, Parch was fairly certain he would be way better looking and likely would fall in the category of a "pretty" troll as he often called them. Gray or not, the child was adorable and likely would be quite handsome if and when he grew up.

Parch continues on his way, not caring any further on the child he had left to pretty much die or fend for himself. It would be another 4 years before he would see Stream again. During that time frame, he met up with Tourmaline again and found the colony that Stream was looking for. The two males tortured the colony, killing off multiple trolls who they deemed to be ugly. Cooper and Fuzzbert were two of those trolls that they found annoying and ugly. Most of the other fuzzlings met the same fate. Creek and Branch had to rely on each other to hide, blending in with the dead trees in the area. Because of their gray state, they had to blend in with dead trees or dying and dried up leaves because of the brown and blackish gray colors. They couldn't change colors to blend in with the more colorful foliage so had to do what they could. Even over the last 4 years, neither of them had succeeded in gaining back their colors. The only thing that gave them any hope was Parch's comment about a child that looked identical to Creek. It chilled them to their bones when Parch also told them what he had enjoyed doing to the young boy, saying if he caught any of them, he would do the same to them.

The torture was just beginning and King Peppy's colony would never be the same again after this point.

...  
*shudders* poor Stream... and poor colony. I am not being very nice to these babies.. but it will get better eventually.


	4. chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Peppy's colony takes shelter in order to recover some of their losses.

King Peppy's entire colony was in shock. They, over the course of the last 4 years, had lost a couple hundred of their colony, and had assumed that Stream was dead. Now, by word of mouth of the person attacking their colony, they found out that not only had Parch beaten and raped the poor child, but that Stream was very much alive. Guilt took over the colony at that point, fearing how Stream would react should he live long enough to catch up to them, knowing they had abandoned him and assuming him to be dead.

Creek and Branch had taken up refuge in a nearby tree stump, holding each other close for comfort and because of the chill that had fallen over them all. "He's alive? How is he alive? I mean, I know my brother has healing abilities by placing himself in a comatose state, but that head injury should have killed him. We all thought he was dead." Creek was more in shock than most of the others, not just at the realization that his brother was alive, but that his brother also had been raped and beaten by that monster of a troll who had killed so many of their colony over the last couple years.

"I'm sure he'll find us eventually, Creek. Your brother is like you in that regard, determined. He'll find a way to reach us and he'll hold on as much as he can, knowing that we're eventually going to cross paths again." Branch's hair was drooped down more than normal and his ears curled downwards. "Your brother and I are soulmates, Creek. If nothing else, he'll at least hold on to try to find me again." Branch locks eyes when Creek looks up at him, a smile trying to work its way onto his face. "We'll see him again, I know we will."

"You and my brother are soulmates? Funny, he never told me about that, but I have to admit something in regards to that. I'm glad it's you that he is bound to. I couldn't think of anyone better suited for my brother than you. If you and he weren't soulmates, I would have likely chased after you myself." Creek blushes a moment admitting that to Branch, trying to avoid locking eyes with the former teal blue troll who was in a state of shock at the confession. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to cause you any discomfort. Just know this, if anything does happen to my brother, I will always be here for you, Branch."

It takes a few moments for Branch to shake himself out of the shock and gives Creek a gentle smile. "It's appreciated Creek. I really hope Stream finds his way back to us though. I really miss him and knowing now that he's still alive and goodness knows how far behind us, it makes the longing to have him here with us that much more. Knowing that Parch is out there where he is also and able to hurt him like that, it makes me want to personally kill that guy. I will definitely want to rip his damn head off for hurting Stream like that."

Creek jerks up slightly at the use of the swear word and gives Branch a look of shock. "Temper, temper. I know we want Parch dead, Branch, but really, watch the language. You remember what the adults did the last time they heard you swear like that." He shudders a moment, thinking of the butt whooping Branch had to endure the last time the adults heard him use even a small swear word. "The adults can get away with it, but we're not adults. I doubt we'll be able to get away with swearing until we at least turn 16 or more." He looks to one side a moment as a couple adults pass by the tree stump they were hiding in, trying to keep as quiet as possible.

"I know, I'm just upset. We need to figure out what we can do about Parch." Branch lets out a shriek when one of the adults grabs him and pulls him outside the tree stump. He notices Creek quickly follow to make sure things were okay. The adults all were gathering nearby, trying to make plans on what to do. Hearing Branch mention they needed to come up with ideas had made them decide to include him and Creek in the discussions. The other kids were too young or too kind hearted to deal with the problem at hand.

King Peppy walks over seeing the two kids with them. "So, you think you can come up with some ideas, Branch?" He eyes up the 9 year old trolling carefully, seeing the thoughtful expression on Branch's face. He wasn't entirely certain what Branch was thinking about, but whatever it was, it was something to consider at least.

"Well, maybe. I know herbs pretty well and I have read a couple books on poisons and such like that. If we could make a poison and use it on some arrows or daggers, we could use it against Parch and Tourmaline the next time they attack. Even if it doesn't kill them, it would make them seriously sick. It might also make them think twice about attacking us again, at least for a while." Branch looks between the adults, seeing the thoughtful expressions on their faces and knowing he likely gave them a really good idea.

"That sounds like a plan, Branch. Good thinking young one. We'll have to learn how to make bows and arrows though and then learn how to use them. Daggers, those are fairly straight forward, but we still will need to make some strictly for that use only, for combat. We'll have to take shelter for a while and pray we can survive until we have gathered what we need to." King Peppy turns to the adults and has them start scouting around for any and all materials and herbs they could find that would be needed. It was time for them to equip themselves for a showdown. They just were uncertain how long it would be before it took place.

Many miles away, Parch and Tourmaline chance upon Stream again. They were both shocked to see him still alive at that point, but Parch was already planning things for this young troll yet again. The sun set on a brutal scene once more as Parch once again had his way with Stream. It had been 4 years since the last time, but seeing that Stream was becoming better and better looking as he got older was just too much to resist. Over the last 4 years, Stream had also learned how to fully use his healing ability and didn't even have to put himself into a comatose state to heal himself any more. After Parch was done, him and Tourmaline once again left Stream behind, bloody and beaten once more. Stream waited this time, waited till they were out of sight before healing himself and running towards the East as quickly as he could, knowing the sooner he found his colony again, the better off and safer he would be.

...  
Boop.. next up. poor Stream, I am being so mean to him. He'll need his soulmate to help him for a while to deal with the mental anguish of all this abuse.


	5. chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The colony stops in order to create some weapons to protect themselves with, giving Stream time to also catch up to them.

The colony was tired, but what they were tired of wasn't lack of rest in this case. They were tired of running from the bullies Parch and Tourmaline. The idea Branch had given them was sufficient, making them aware that if they wanted to survive, they needed to learn how to protect themselves. Many of the adult trolls were already out scouting the area they were in, looking for supplies to help them create the bows, arrows, and knives they would need to protect themselves and their colony.

A couple of the trollings chance upon some metallic rocks not too far from their location, noticing that a vein of that material was embedded in the rocky face of the mountain they were currently near. They bring the rocks back to the colony and to the one troll in the whole village who knew anything about metals, the blacksmith, Coral. He took one look at the rock and grinned widely at the trollings. "Very nice kids. This is iron ore rock, perfect for making metal blades and arrow heads. I need a lot more of this rock. Bring me as much of this as you possibly can. I'll start getting this part melted down to start making some things while you gather more." The trollings all nod and scamper back towards the vein to gather more of the rock. Some of the adults, having heard what their blacksmith said, grab digging tools and follow the trollings to the edge of the mountain and start digging out the vein, gathering as much of the ore as they possibly could.

While they were all busy, the blacksmith gets busy on the molds he would need to create the blades and the arrow heads. It was a lengthy process considering the clay he was using had to be completely dry before pouring in the hot, liquid metal. If it wasn't completely dry, the mold would shatter and the liquid iron ore would splatter all over the ground and be lost. While he was busy making the molds for the blades and arrow heads, some of the other adults were grabbing tree branches that were sturdy but flexible enough to be turned into bows and the arrow shafts. They found some flexible material not too far away that would be perfect for the bows but finding suitable material to make the arrow shafts was proving to be slightly more difficult. The arrow shafts had to be flexible as well, but not nearly as much as the bows themselves. It also had to be fairly lightweight but heavy enough to still reach a good distance. It additionally would need to be able to be cut easily enough to insert the arrow heads once they were finished.

Branch and Creek, wanting to help as much as possible, decided to go searching for vines that could be used for the bow strings and for tying the arrow heads securely to the arrow shafts. It had to be small enough to be able to tie it tightly, but still large enough that it wouldn't snap easily. The first set of vines they found was too thick, being more like rope than twine that they needed. The second set was too thin and snapped into pieces when they tried to curl it into balls, showing also it was too dry and not usable for anything other than possible fire tinder. After searching for the better part of 2 hours, Branch finally found some vines that were flexible, pliable, not overly dry, and were the perfect thickness for what was needed. He calls Creek over and points to the vines. "This is what we need, I'm fairly certain of that. We need to gather as much of this as we can." He quickly attaches a red ribbon to the bush next to the vines, just in case they needed to make more than one trip and needed to remember where these vines were located.

"Agreed, Branch. Let's hurry and get as much as we can back to Coral. He'll need this for sure once he gets to that stage of the weapon making." He starts yanking down some of the vines, gathering as much as he could carry and still manage to walk. Branch does the same and they wander back to the blacksmith pod to deliver the vines. The amount they were carrying hid them almost entirely from view so several trolls got startled when they saw huge balls of vines wandering back into the village before realizing Branch and Creek were under it all trying to carry it. Several of the adults laugh a moment before taking the vines off the kids and helping them with the load. They set the load down and head back with the two trollings to the vines to gather the rest. By the time they were done gathering the vines, they had enough to make 35 bows and tie off dozens of arrows to the shafts.

It was a couple hours later when the sound of clanging filled the air. Dozens of the trolls peeked into the blacksmith pod to watch Coral at work, noticing him hammering away at a piece of now cooled iron ore and shaping it into a long blade. At that time, even the handle was metal but there was many sections of wood sheaths nearby that the metal would slide into and be secured to in order to make the handles for gripping. As a few days of this passed, enough bows and arrows and knives were made to supply every adult with a bow and arrows for long range targets, and a blade for short range combat if it because necessary.

During that few days while Coral worked on all that, Branch had joined several of the other adults out in the woods gathering herbs to make medicines with and poisons for the arrow heads to be dipped into. The amount of herbs gathered over a duration of 3 days was enough to make 3 vials of medicine for every adult and trolling in the village. The herbs to make the poisons were kept separate and were labeled accordingly so nobody would mistake the poison for medicine. It was also kept in a location where the trollings could not gain access to it. They didn't want any unnecessary fatalities. They had already had too many of those as it was.

A few miles away, Stream was doing something similar. He had decided that enough was enough. He was tired of being sexually assaulted by Parch and dreaded the looks Tourmaline was giving him. He didn't have any metal skills, so in order to protect himself from the two bullies, he made his own super flexible bow and arrows out of the local wood he was able to find. He had already been practicing his aim for the last couple days, reaching as far as 200 feet with his archery skills. Even 200 feet he felt was too close, but at least the arrows he made were sharp enough to get the point across... literally. The points he had made on them were sharp enough to embed themselves 2 inches deep into the local trees. Considering how hard the local trees were, if his arrows could penetrate that deep into them, they should go much deeper into soft flesh. He looks behind himself as the sun dips below the horizon marking nightfall. He gathers up his bow and arrows and straps them to his back and then grabs a special crystal he had found just 2 days prior.

Unlike Creek, who had mastered his spiritual talents at 3 and his meditation at 4 years of age, Stream wasn't quite as tuned in to the spiritual plane. His thoughts often distracted him from obtaining that inner peace he needed, drawing his attention to random things instead of focusing on his goal of reaching that spiritual plateau that Creek had already attained. The crystal that Stream had found, he noticed it gave him a heightened sense of awareness, a calmer feeling when meditating, and it also seemed to focus his mind onto a singular thing at any given time. He only had to place it within 2 or 3 feet of his meditation spot and it helped him to stay calm enough to do his meditations. His mind lately had been so focused on reaching his colony, his brother, and his soulmate that he had been too distracted to notice various things that could have helped him. It wasn't till the moon came up that he noticed footprints and cart tracks leading through the woods a short distance from his location. Putting the crystal in his pocket, he treks off into the woods, heading in the direction the tracks were leading.

As the darkest part of the night settled in, Stream stopped. He could easily hear talking ahead of him and sounds of trolls moving around. The voices speaking were relatively close to him and were talking about the issues they had been having with Parch and the best way to deal with him if and when he showed up again. It wasn't till they mentioned King Peppy that he realized he had found his colony again. He was finally home where he belonged. Glancing around from his concealed location, he notices quite a few trollings wandering around, some sleeping, and multiple adults watching over them. He keeps looking around before finally spotting 2 gray trollings off to one side of the clearing, one that looked just like him and the other that was wearing a leaf vest and patched shorts. His heart skips a beat as he realizes it was his brother and his soulmate, Branch. His eyes trail over the features of Branch's face, taking in the now slightly older appearance. Granted they were still only 9, but to Stream, Branch was perfection.

He ducks slightly when several adults come into range of his location. They stop when they hear the sudden rustle of the leaves that Stream had accidentally brushed against, already on high alert and wary of any attacks that may occur during the night. One of the adults, seeing the difference in the leaves, wraps his hair around Stream and yanks him into the clearing, getting a startled yelp from him. He shudders slightly, thinking he was about to be beaten till he heard gasps from the adults. Clearly they had recognized him and were in shock.. or so he thought. He looks up at the stunned adults, wondering what they would do, only to come face to face with King Peppy. "Ummm... hi?"

King Peppy was utterly confused. He glances over towards Branch, noticing Creek snuggled up beside him asleep, then looks back at Stream again. "Stream? Oh my, we thought you were dead years ago. I am so, so very sorry young one. Will you ever forgive me for leaving you behind thinking you were dead?"

Stream looks at him confused a moment and nods. "Nothing to forgive. You didn't know about my healing ability and I had asked Creek to not tell anyone unless it was necessary. You were unaware, so it's only natural you thought I was dead. I was in a comatose state for quite a while healing myself from that head injury. Too much has happened since then, and I would rather not relive it. Please.. I just want to be over there with my brother and my soulmate again. I have missed them so much."

Another adult walks over a few moments later, Creek and Branch in tow with her. The looks on their faces couldn't be described in any other way than pure shock, Branch more so than Creek. As they realized who they were seeing, their colors quickly restored and they both pounced on Stream, locking him in between them in a hug so tight, Stream had to gasp for air. "Too tight.. too tight." He breathes a sigh of relief as they loosen their grips but then falls into oblivion when he gets lip locked by Branch. The adults and Creek all look at that in surprise that Branch would be so bold as to do that. The hair-tying occurring above the two indicated their bond. After a few moments, Branch pulls back and smiles gently at Stream. "Welcome home soulmate. We have a lot of catching up to do."

...  
boop lol


End file.
